The present invention relates to a method in connection with a salient-pole permanent magnet synchronous machine in accordance with the preamble of claim 1.
For reliable operation a plurality of motor control systems require accurate information on a position angle and angular speed of a rotor. In a typical implementation the position angle and the angular speed of the rotor are determined using a mechanical sensor coupled on a motor shaft. This sensor produces information, for instance, on the rotor position and from a change in the position it is further possible to calculate the angular speed of the rotor. However, the sensor coupled to the shaft is a mechanical component liable to faults, which increases the price of a motor drive considerably. In addition, as the motor drive control is based on information obtained from the sensor, sensor breakage inevitably causes downtime in said motor drive.
There are also currently used a variety of methods for controlling the motor without direct feedback from the position or speed of the rotor. The most common ways in connection with the permanent magnet synchronous machine are based on using various flux observers. The operation of the flux observer is based on a voltage model on a synchronous machine, the model being based on the voltage equation of the machine. The initial values required by the voltage equation are inductances and resistances of the machine.
The voltage models produce an accurate estimate on the angular speed of the rotor at its higher values. However, the voltage models have a drawback that at near-zero speed the estimate obtained by the voltage model becomes inaccurate, due to possibly erroneous parameters and measurement inaccuracies together with a low back EMF produced by the machine.
One manner to estimate a rotor position angle in a motion sensorless synchronous machine is based on utilizing signal injection methods. In signal injection an extra signal deviating from the fundamental frequency is injected to the motor either in voltage or in current form. This signal provides in the machine an injection frequency response, from which is obtained by demodulation a position tracking signal that can be used for determining the position of the rotor. Signal injection methods enable operation at low speeds down to zero speed, but the obtained dynamic behaviour is poor, however.